1. George Berkeley’s Theory of Knowledge
( )
Irish Philosopher
Anglican Bishop

2. The belief that only ideas exist
Subjective Idealism
The belief that only ideas exist

3. Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous
1713
Hylas = Greek word for matter
Philonous = Greek word for love of mind

4. Berkeley’s Argument
Argued that Locke’s primary and secondary qualities are really the same thing

5. Berkeley is reacting against - Scientific Empiricism
- Scientific Materialism
They don’t deal with physical reality
They deal with IDEAS of physical reality

6. Berkeley’s Argument 1. How do we perceive primary qualities?
2. Through our minds

7. 3. We can never really know if the ideas in our minds accurately represent the material world

8. 4. Our minds only deal with ideas, not objective reality

9. 5. Both primary and secondary qualities are mind-dependent

11. (those things that are perceived
6. Sensible things
(those things that are perceived
by our senses)
Must be perceivable

12. 7. To be is to be perceived
“esse est percipi”

13. 8. But there is no guarantee that the external world
(mind independent world)
really exists

14. 9. How does Berkeley handle the problem of things existing
when we are not there to perceive them?
God perceives them!
God is the ultimate perceiver

16. 10. What we call
“The Laws of Physics”
are really
“God’s Laws “
and they
govern a universe
made up of ideas

17. The only things that exist:
Our Minds
And
God’s Mind

18. is really ideas put in our minds by God
11. What we refer to as the
“Physical World”
is really ideas put in our minds by God

19. 12. Berkeley argues that continuity of what we refer to as the “material” world provides an irrefutable proof for the existence of God

21. If we eliminate the material world And therefore a better explanation
Occam’s Razor
If we eliminate the material world
We have less entities
And therefore a better explanation